When Two Worlds Meet
by LuxBlack
Summary: Aida is a young Kenyan veterinarian who works in the Serengeti National Park. She has the very special ability of talking to animals. After stopping in the heart of the savanna after a solitary Jeep trip, she bumps into certain carnivores…
1. A solitary safari

WHEN TWO WORLDS MEET (A Lion King Fanfiction)

Summary: Aida is a young Kenyan veterinarian who works in the Serengeti National Park. She has the very special ability of talking to animals. After stopping in the heart of the savanna after a solitary Jeep trip, she bumps into certain carnivores…

OCs:

Aida (Visitor): human, 26 years old, main character

Haoniyao (born during an argument), a lioness

* * *

Chapter 1 – _A solitary safari_

"Here we go, little baby", Aida said to the tiny lion cub nestled in her arms. She had just finished feeding him with a baby's bottle. "Now let's go back to your mom".

Aida exited the nursery and headed to a fenced space. A lioness was crouched nearby, and after seeing Aida, she growled. The young woman stopped some steps far from the fence.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you hate me, Haoniyao", she told the lioness.

"Would you be nice to me if I stole your baby?", the lioness said angrily.

Aida gave the lioness an irritated look.

"Your name surely fits you perfectly! As you can see, your cub is alive and healthy thanks to me."

"Nope, you humans just put your noses where they don't belong. I told you I could nurse him!"

Although a little fearful in presence of this contentious lioness, Aida took courage by thinking of her extraordinary ability to talk and reason with animals, approached the fence and opened it. She was sure the lioness, though mad at her, would never have torn her apart. Not without listening to her first.

"Haoniyao, knock it off. You know that's not true", Aida said sternly.

"The cub was dying. In which language do I have to tell you? I'm a veterinarian, I _cure_ animals! This little cub wouldn't have survived without my help, otherwise I wouldn't have dreamed of taking him away from you", she finished with a softer tone. "Anyway, here he is".

Aida let go of the cub, who happily ran to his mother. Haoniyao nuzzled him and licked him, it was like she was asking the cub to forgive her for having not been able to nurse him. Then she looked at Aida again.

"I know you are a healer for animals. But you're human. Even if you can talk to us, you'll never fully understand us, how we live, what we need and how we feel. Wild animals are 'wild', as you chose to call us, because they don't need human help. There are some things about us that you can't get out of those white squares you often open and stare at for hours, 'cause those things are made by other humans. You can never put a bond between us and humans. Keep this in mind."

Without being able to answer, Aida just locked the fence and walked away.

She lived in a small village close to the Serengeti Plain; although her big city life in Nairobi was very comfortable, and she was one of the few lucky people in Africa who had had great opportunities in life, the urban environment wasn't exactly the best for a veterinarian skilled in wildlife. And above all, since her parents' death, she felt an increasing need to make a radical change in her life, getting closer and closer to her lifelong love, animals. When she was very little, during a visit at the zoo she discovered her unnatural ability of talking to them and getting them to talk to her. Most important, she discovered that they deserved a lot more respect than human beings did. From that day on, she had pursued the aim of dedicating her whole life to animals, and she made it. Of course, all the people she studied and worked with agreed that she had a peculiar talent in veterinary psychology, but they would never have imagined that she could talk with animals in proper language. To any of other humans, animals' words were cries, growls, roars, howls, whistles and other noises; to Aida, these noises were actual words.

That night, in her cozy little house, she thought of Haoniyao's words. That capricious lioness was right. Animals belonged to a different world, and her ability wouldn't have changed anything. They would've never considered her part of them. The truth was that talking to animals, taking care of them, curing their wounds or diseases, was the only thing that made her feel good; their simple way of thinking, their enjoying life day by day like every day was an unique adventure, made her forget about her loneliness and her disillusions about the human kind in today's world, especially in that tortured continent where she was born. She felt like her very identity was fractured.

The next day was her day off, but instead of getting up late and taking her time, she woke up before dawn. She liked this hour of the day a lot, the air was so pleasantly cool, the birds whistling their funny melodies, and when the sun began to rise, its rays weren't burning.

Still thoughtful, Aida got dressed and packed what was essential for a short trip across the beautiful Serengeti Plain. Then she got into her Jeep, and headed to her Garden of Eden.

* * *

_Meanwhile, in the 'Garden of Eden'…_

Three spotted hyenas were quietly walking across the plain. None of them looked to be in a good mood.

"Aw man, I'm starvin'", said one of the three, a handsome young male with a gruff voice, thick eyebrows and a pair of expressive, wild eyes.

"For God's sake, Banzai, you've said it for the billionth time!", said another, the only female of the three. She had spiky black bangs falling over her semi-closed eyes, and a deep, almost sensuous voice.

"I can't help it Shenzi, I haven't eaten for three days now!", Banzai protested.

The third hyena, another male, laughed in a strange, almost expressive tone, like he was saying something. His face was peculiar, but very cute: his eyes were very big, and very separate from each other, and what's more, they weren't exactly focused; this made him look always stupidly excited when he was in a good mood, and kind of grotesque the few times he got angry. He had two notches on each ear, and his tongue was always lolling out of his smiling mouth.

"Shut up, Ed", Shenzi and Banzai told him.

The funny trio kept walking for a while, until the female stopped and smelled the air.

"_You smellin' something good?_", Ed asked her in his gibberish language.

"Yeah, genius".

Suddenly she ducked, and the two males quickly imitated her. The three kept moving slowly forward, hiding in the tall grass; then, they opened a breach and saw a young wildebeest, busy in its green breakfast.

Three mischievous smiles formed on the hyenas' mouths.

"Do you see what I see?", Shenzi whispered.

The three snickered and began circling their oblivious prey, keeping their burning eyes on it.

* * *

**Author's note:**

First chapter of the first Lion King fanfic! I beg you readers to review it and signal possible expressions that need to be corrected, it's very important to me :)


	2. Meeting Banzai

Chapter 2 – _Meeting Banzai_

In three points of an imaginary circle around the young wildebeest, three tongues hungrily licked sharp teeth, and three pairs of black forepaws dug their claws in the ground. The hyenas were ready to jump on their breakfast…

Suddenly, within the space of some seconds, it seemed like the world collapsed.

Just as the hyenas were about to pounce, a deafening screech filled the air, and the puzzled trio froze in place at the sight of a large car skidding across the plain, surrounded by a cloud of dirt.

"What the-?", Shenzi exclaimed.

The sudden arrival of the car scared to death the young wildebeest, which drew the attention of other wildebeests, among which there was the young wildebeest's mother, which saw the three hyenas and got obviously enraged.

Aida managed to stop the car just in time to see the mother wildebeest angrily charge at three adult spotted hyenas; the hyenas pounced on her; one of them tried to grasp her throat with his jaws, but, with a powerful blow of her horns, the mother wildebeest sent the hyena in the air. Then she managed to get rid of the other two hyenas and ran for her life.

"Holy… crap.", Aida said with a faint voice. The hyena that had been hit was now lying unconscious on the grass. After a moment, Aida recovered from the shock, got off the car and ran to the unconscious hyena. She winced at the sight of a pool of blood forming around the young male's body.

He's gonna die, she thought horrified. Then, without thinking twice, she took the bleeding animal in her arms. He was heavy, but she could care less. She went to her Jeep and laid the hyena down on the backseat; but as she closed the door she heard an angry growl behind her, and saw the other two hyenas. A male and a female. Both hungry and enraged. The female was perhaps the unconscious hyena's mate. Great, just great.

"Listen", Aida said, with a trembling voice. "Before you tear me apart, I want you to know that I'm absolutely not going to hurt your friend. I need to take him with me because he'll die if I don't stop the bleeding…"

"Just let him go and beat it, you filthy human bitch!", Shenzi said between clenched teeth.

"Whoa! Let's watch our mouths, shall we? I said I'm going to help him!", Aida said, rising her voice.

Shenzi was stunned. This human female could actually _understand_ her? But she quickly repressed the surprise and turned back to her normal self.

"Well, we are here. We'll take care of him, he doesn't need human help.", she said.

Aw great, Aida thought to herself. This was the second time in less than twelve hours that she was told so by an animal. But she didn't give up; she quickly turned around and got into the car. From the window, she looked at the female hyena straight into the eyes.

"I'll take him back here tomorrow. I'll give him back to you safe and sound, I promise.", she told Shenzi before leaving with a screech of tyres.

"Banzai… Noooo!", Shenzi cried.

She and Ed stared at the car disappearing in the horizon. Shenzi's eyes filled with tears and, for once unable to control herself, she burst into convulsive sobbing. Ed tried to comfort her by putting an arm around her shoulders in a friendly hug. She hid her face in Ed's chest and continued sobbing.

There was no need to say anything, it was crystal clear that to her, Banzai meant something more than a friend.

* * *

While travelling across the savanna, Aida tried to calm down her shaking nerves. She had got herself into trouble. Bad trouble. Despite her years of experience with wild animals, this was the first time she did such a thing, carelessly defying animals that maybe had never seen a human being. But, as she glanced at the backseat where the wounded male was lying, she convinced herself that she was doing the right thing.

She soon reached the park where her office was. After parking, she carefully took the hyena in her arms, entered the office and laid him on a stretcher.

She washed the blood away from the male's body, and saw it was flowing from a deep cut in his right shoulder.

She wore her gloves, took her surgical instruments and disinfected the wound, stitched it up, then bandaged it. During the suture, sometimes the male would weakly open his eyes and moan, then fall again unconscious soon afterwards.

"Good boy, I'm finished with that", she said affectionately.

Then she proceeded with an ordinary checkup: she examined the hyena's mouth, throat, ears and eyes; with her stethoscope, she listened to his breathing and heartbeat; then she palpated his abdomen.

Apart from the wound and the fact that he needed to eat, he was a healthy, perfect male specimen of _hyaena ridens_, she concluded happily, patting him on the cheek.

Banzai soon began to wake up. The first thing he saw was the blurred figure of a dark skinned, nice face with a mane of black curls around her head and two gleaming silver rings hanging from her ears.

"I'm dead", he thought out loud "and a strange lion is taking me to the other world…"

Aida chuckled.

"No, you're alive and okay", she told him. "You've just been wounded, but it'll heal soon. You're a strong boy. By the way, I'm not a lion, I'm a human woman."

"What?", he said weakly. "And you've understood what I said?"

But he suddenly felt pain in his right shoulder.

"Ouch! What happened? Who are you?", he said nervously.

"You've been wounded by a wildebeest's horns. I was there when it happened, so I took you here 'cause you were bleeding too much. I'm a vet… a doctor for animals, my name is Aida. And I can talk to animals, so feel free to speak", she finished with a smile.

"Oh… Nah, it can't be… I must be dreamin'…", he said to himself, but the pain in the shoulder and his growling stomach remembered him that he was alive. Wounded and hungry, but alive.

"What's your name, boy?", she asked him.

"Banzai."

"Wow, 'lurk'", she commented. "So apart from what happened today, you surely are a great hunter, aren't you?"

Banzai smiled. This human female was odd, but not bad at all. "Well, yeah, I mean, no, I mean… Maybe I would be a great hunter if I could hunt more often…"

"It's because of lions, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is… But hey, how do you know?"

"Heh, even humans know about the relationship between lions and hyenas".

"Do Shenzi and Ed know I'm here?"

"Shenzi and Ed? You mean your two friends? They aren't very happy about it… Especially the female."

"Shenzi", he said, and his eyes enlightened. Aida noticed this, and smiled.

"I assume she's your mate", she said.

"No no no, she's not", he replied, trying to hide his emotion. _I wish she was_, he thought.

"No? I could have sworn she was, judging by the way she reacted when I put you in my car".

"Why? What did she do?", he asked, very curious.

Aida laughed. "Well, let's just say that if I hadn't got in the car so fast, she would've ripped me to shreds".

"And then I looked at her in the eyes, when I told her I would've brought you back soon. That expression of anger mixed with fear struck me", she finished.

Banzai was speechless. No, that couldn't be. He was sure it was only Aida's impression. If it had been Ed to be taken away, maybe Shenzi would've reacted the same way.

He was snapped out by his growling stomach.

"Aida", he said, "do you… ehm… by any chance… uh… have something to eat for me?"

Aida grinned. He happily grinned back.


	3. Critical situations

Chapter 3 – _Critical situations call for drastic measures_

OC: Haki (Justice, Truth), a young male zoologist who works with Aida.

Ed was hiding in the tall grass, a huge herd of zebras before his divergent eyes.

_I have to make it, dammit_, he thought. Actually, Ed had always been quite a mess in hunting. Usually he was a good helping hand for Shenzi and Banzai, but it was those two who did the hardest part of the job. And now that he was compelled to do it all by himself, he cursed himself for being so clumsy.

He had passed all the day trying to comfort a desperate Shenzi, but any effort had turned out to be useless, so maybe eating would have cheered up both of them. Food always cheers up. The only problem was that Shenzi wouldn't move, she was in a sort of catatonic state. So here he was. Critical situations call for drastic measures.

Ed tried to remember quickly the tricks his dad had taught him when he was younger: never attack the prey from behind or it would kick you… Never grab a calf when the adults are nearby… Try to stay away from horns and hooves… Point at shoulders, haunches, and of course throat… Make it lose its balance…

An adult zebra was grazing just some feet from him: now or never again!

With a growl, Ed pounced on the zebra. With his claws dug into the zebra's shoulders in a deadly embrace, he sank his teeth into the throat. The zebra wildly thrashed around, but Ed was firmly clung to it, in a position in which he couldn't even be hit. After some seconds, Ed had drained the life out of the zebra's throat.

"_I made it… Holy crap, I MADE IT!_", he happily shouted in his unique language, laughing wildly. _I could be the stupid hyena of the bunch, but I'm still a hyena_, he thought, and dragging his prize he headed to his and his friends' den.

"Ed…", Shenzi weakly called. No reply. "Ed! Where the heck are you?".

She got up, and looked outside the den. She had cried all day, and now she was tired and with her eyes heavy and burning. Banzai was her second-in-command, the strongest male in her clan, her best friend. Even if most of the time she was rather sassy to him, and his quick-tempered behavior often made her lose her patience, now that he was away from her, probably in danger, probably even worse… she felt like a large part of herself had died. And, much strange to her, her heart ached like mad.

Suddenly she spotted a familiar figure with notched ears coming towards the den. Ed was carrying something… Then a delicious smell filled the air.

"Eddie, you… hunted?", she said, touched.

"_Yeah, weird, huh? Now eat, you need to._"

Ed ate ravenously, while Shenzi slowly ripped off a piece, only to find out her stomach was completely closed. Ed noticed this.

"_Shenzi, come on… It's your favorite!_"

"I can't, Ed… Sorry buddy, I appreciate what you're doing for me, but I just can't…", she said, her eyes full of tears.

In Ed's eyes, Shenzi was unrecognizable. But she couldn't go on like this.

"_We gotta do something… But what?_"

Then Shenzi came up with an idea. A crazy idea.

"Ed, listen to me. We gotta talk to Simba."

"_Simba? What could he ever do about this? He hates us, and who can blame him? We killed his dad!_"

"I know, but now this doesn't matter anymore. It's humans we're talking about."

"_I dunno… Why should he care about a meaningless hyena captured by humans?_"

"We gotta try anyway. After all, we got nothing to lose", she said with a sigh.

They both headed to the Pride Rock. Critical situations call for drastic measures.

"Come on Simba, you're a lion, we are carnivores!", Nala said, slightly annoyed.

"Well, mine was a particular circumstance," Simba replied, turning away from an antelope haunch. "I grew up with a meerkat and a warthog, they saved my life and bugs was all they could offer me."

"Such gratitude!", Timon said sarcastically. "I thought we offered you a completely problem-free life."

"I was talking about food, Timon", Simba said with a smile.

"Alright darling, what else can I tell you?", Nala said. "If you feel ok with your bug diet…"

Suddenly Zazu landed among them, a worried expression on his face.

"Simba, hyenas!", he said nervously.

"HYENAS?!", Timon and Pumbaa screamed in unison, and quickly hid into Simba's den.

"Zazu, try to stay calm," Nala said. "How many are they?"

"Two. They're coming straight to the Pride Rock, so I guess they want to speak to you. I was flying quite high, but I thought I recognized the matriarch and the mute."

Simba and Nala looked at each other. "Shenzi and Ed."

"Let's go."

Simba and Nala, with other lionesses nearby for safety, waited for the two hyenas to approach them.

"Just because I'm in a good mood I'll listen to you before sending you to rot somewhere far from here", Simba said coldly.

"Oh, thank you Simba, I'll remember this kindness of your heart", Shenzi said with her usual attitude, trying her best to hide her sadness and anxiety. "But I'm coming peacefully, and what I'm about to tell you may be very useful for your kingdom".

"Tell me why should I trust one of my father's murderers…"

Nala noticed something strange about Shenzi. She looked… worried, tense. She remembered how hideous the sassy female hyena was, back when Nala was a cub and later, during Scar's reign. But now, though she hated to admit it, the young lioness felt sorry for Shenzi.

"Simba," Nala whispered, "I suggest you let her talk. Then we decide what to do, but I feel she's being true for once in her life."

Simba knew he could trust Nala. She seemed to always know what to do.

"Alright, Shenzi", Simba said. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to know if any of you, or any of your kingdom, has seen humans around."

_A few minutes later…_

"… So, we are dealing with a peculiar human. Actually, I don't know whether the fact that she can talk to animals is a good or a bad thing", Shenzi finished.

Simba, Nala and Zazu had carefully listened to her, and they mentally concluded she was telling the truth. The young matriarch had come to her enemy without demanding anything, and she wouldn't have given up trying to save her second-in-command.

"But she told you she would've brought him back tomorrow, right?", Simba said.

"Yeah, she promised, but that doesn't mean much…"

"I advise you to wait till tomorrow", Nala said. "If she doesn't keep the promise, gather the strongest hyenas in your clan and go looking for her."

"Anyway, if we do see any humans, we'll let you know." Simba added.

Shenzi was stunned. "Thank you… I admit... I don't exactly deserve your kindness…"

"When it comes to humans, I guess we are on the same side", Simba said.

Shenzi and Ed turned to leave, when they heard Nala's voice.

"Oh, and, Shenzi…", the lioness said. "Try not to worry. Maybe you bumped into a good human."

Shenzi weakly smiled at her, then she and Ed left. Remembering how horrible she had been to those two lions, now Shenzi felt even worse. But back then, hyenas were in desperate conditions, and it was all Simba's family's fault.

That night, she ate a little, then laid herself on the grass, and looked at the sky, with Banzai in her thoughts.

_Bozo, where are you?_, she thought. _And why do I miss you so bad?_

Banzai swallowed his last mouthful with satisfaction. Man, he hadn't eaten so much and so well since time immemorial. Then he tried to get up, but his shoulder was weak, so he sat down. He tried again and again, but it was too difficult.

"How much do you think the weakness will last?" he asked Aida.

"Tomorrow you'll feel a lot better, I'm taking you back at dawn. For some days avoid doing anything strenuous. Try sleeping on your back, or on your left side, and don't rip off the bandage", she said.

"Got it. But what if it comes off by itself?"

"It won't. Just don't let anyone touch it. Anyway I'll come back to take it off and disinfect the wound, so you'll have to protect me from your fierce companions", she said with a smile.

"Of course lady, I owe you a big one", he said.

"Now try to stand and walk, very slowly".

"I can't!"

"If you don't try to make it to my car, we'd have to sleep here", she said, frowning.

"So? What's the problem?"

"Hell-o-o? I'm human. I need a bed."

"A what?"

"A bed. Like that you were on when you woke up here, just bigger and softer."

"I'm sure you won't break your back if you sleep on the floor for once", he said, snickering.

"Don't even think about it! I want to sleep in my bed, and since I can't leave you here alone, you're coming home with me."

"Am I gonna sleep in a bed too? Great!"

"Forget it, you'd make a mess with my pillows and sheets. You're sleeping in the garden."

"Females!", he exclaimed. "Hyenas, lionesses, humans… Doesn't make any difference. You're all weirdoes."

Aida laughed. "Yet males can't live without us! Come on, I'll take you again. But don't get used to that."

With Banzai clinging to her body, Aida switched off the lights and locked her office.

Banzai sighed. "I feel like a puppy pet."

Before Aida could leave she bumped into a young man.

"Whoa! Haki… Hello," she said.

The man was about the same age as Aida. He looked at his colleague with a puzzled expression.

"Hi dear. What happened to this hyena?"

"A wildebeest's horns. But now he's okay, tonight he's staying at my place and tomorrow I'm taking him back in the savanna", she replied.

"Why don't you leave him here at the reserve?"

"Because there aren't other hyenas here, and you know other carnivores would freak if they saw him. Excuse me, I have to go now. This boy is heavy."

"In the savanna? Among other hyenas? Alone? Are you nuts?!", Haki told her.

"Don't worry Haki, I know what I'm doing. See you!", and she left before Haki could say anything else.

Banzai experienced something he would never have dreamed of: traveling in a car, with his head out of the window.

"YOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Don't scream! Or you'll scare the whole village", she told him.

"It's so cool goin' around like this!", he said.

"I know, I did it lots of times, but now keep your head inside, or you'll get me arrested."

"Arrested? What does it mean?"

"It means I'd get in big trouble. I shouldn't bring home a hyena, you know."

The village where Aida lived was very small, near the Plains and well connected to the nearest cities. Aida informed Banzai that the few inhabitants were mostly vets, zoologists, documentary-makers and students, so it was more or less like a college campus. There were small detached houses, some shops, an ER, some students blocks and some guesthouses. Banzai studied very carefully this little cross-section of human life, and commented that humans seemed so peaceful, everyone minding their own business and respecting each other's space, while a wild animal, from the day it leaves its mother, always has to watch its back. Aida explained him that humans have to watch their backs more than animals, because they're the least peaceful species on the biosphere. She told him that humans were very complex animals, who have always written their history, but it was as fascinating as gory.

When they arrived at Aida's place, she helped Banzai out of the car. He managed to take a few steps before collapsing in the garden grass. Aida had a detached house with a small garden, which she liked to fill with plants and flowers. The male hyena noticed that human females liked flowers too.

She approached him. "Well, goodnight Banzai. Sleep well and call me if you need me."

He leaned forward and gave her a lick on the cheek: a friendly kiss. "Thank you. You saved my life."

"It's my job", she said, patting him on the cheek. Then she entered the house.

Banzai relaxed on his back and gazed at the stars. His thoughts went immediately to Shenzi.

_Sometimes I wish Shenzi was just as sweet to me_, he thought. _Not always, just sometimes_.

Inside the house, Aida thought this would have been the last time she brought home a wild animal. The more time you spend with them, the hardest is parting from them.


	4. Something moves

Chapter 4 – _Something moves_

Banzai woke up yawning. He had slept so deeply he now didn't remember where he was. That light? All that greenery and those flowers? None of these things had ever been seen in the elephant graveyard…

Then he remembered, and smiled. The only thing missing in this picture was Shenzi sleeping beside him. Shenzi… He wondered what was she doing now.

_Don't worry babe, I'm coming back_, he thought.

Suddenly, an unknown car parked in front of Aida's house, and Haki got off. Banzai recognized that man Aida had bumped into last night, and growled at him. Though being a zoologist, Haki felt a little uncomfortable.

"Hehe, calm down pal, I'm a friend of Aida's, remember?", Haki said. "Oh what am I doing… Like this hyena could actually understand me…", he said to himself out loud.

"You bet I do, pendejo", Banzai said. But to Haki it continued to sound like a growl.

The front door opened and Aida appeared, all dressed up and ready. And slightly annoyed.

"Haki! What are you doing here so early?"

"Well looks like I didn't woke you up. Has this hyena had breakfast yet or was he waiting for me?"

Aida giggled. "He wouldn't like you. Especially your brains."

"Very funny", Haki said. "Could you at least keep him down?"

Aida went to Banzai and stroked his back. "Good morning, sir."

"Mornin'. You can tell your friend I don't want any breakfast, I can't believe I could ever say such a thing but I'm still stuffed from yesterday", Banzai said.

Haki was stunned. Aida had this extraordinary ability to inspire confidence to wild animals even with a few words. Of course, Banzai's words sounded like a quiet laughter to him, but it was exactly like he was _answering_ to Aida.

"You can relax Haki", Aida said "Banzai's not hungry."

"Banzai?! Did you give him this name? And how the heck do you know he's not hungry?", Haki asked her.

"You're a zoologist, you should know there are many ways to understand when they're hungry or not. Speaking of which, have you had breakfast? Do you want some tea?"

"No thanks. Look Aida, I came to tell you that I wouldn't like you to go alone into the wild with an adult hyena as your only company. Face it. It's crazy!"

"Haki, I think I told you that I know what I'm doing. I don't talk nonsense. I'm grown up, I'm a professional and I'm totally responsible of my actions. Believe me", she said, kindly but firmly.

"It's not that I don't believe you, I'm just worrying for you. I've trained and I'm still training with wild animals, their communication is different from ours; when they're hungry or scared, they don't give a damn if you're nice to them! They listen to one thing: instinct!"

"You're talking to me like I was a beginner!", she said. At this point, both humans had started rising their tones. Banzai was curious, but also a bit worried: what if they started fighting?

"Okay, this is it: if you gotta take that hyena back, I'm coming with you."

"NO!", she shouted. "In which language do I have to tell you that when I do something there's a REASON? I want to go there alone! If I brought just another human with me, he would start doing things in his way, so I'll spoil everything, and bye-bye communication! Animals are not just a bunch of empty bellies, they TALK TO ME!"

A uncomfortable silence followed. Aida had made this speech in a single breath, and now she realized she had just confessed her deepest secret, and covered her mouth with a hand. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"You mean… they _really_ talk to you in proper language?", Haki said with a faint voice.

She nodded. Now tears were running down her cheeks. Banzai felt his heart breaking in seeing Aida cry; he went to rub himself against her as an attempt to comfort her.

Haki noticed this, and took it as a confirmation of Aida's gift. It was the truth, it had to be the truth! They've known each other for years, and Haki had always noticed Aida was a peculiar student; with her, animals behaved differently. Not that they weren't nice with anyone but her, but Aida established with them a relationship never seen before. And of course, almost everyone thought Aida was a weirdo.

"And now you can call the mental hospital. Do it, I expected it", Aida sighed.

Haki approached her. "Actually, I believe you."

"What?", she said.

"Yeah, I mean, I've been watching your job with them in the last years, and this is the only logical explanation. And then I know you. You're a brilliant doctor, but an awful liar. So I believe you."

Aida smiled and hugged him. "If you tell anyone, you're dead meat, got it?", she said in his ear, still smiling.

"Got it. Now, you really don't want me to come?"

"No, Haki, and don't worry about me".

An 'ahem' got their attention. Banzai was actually feeling a little embarrassed. They broke the embrace and Aida went to open her car.

"I haven't forgotten about you. C'mon get in", she told Banzai, and he did as he was told.

She locked her house and got in the car, while Haki got in his. Before parting from each other, they exchanged a few words from the windows.

"Just promise me one thing: that if things get ugly, you immediately call me, okay?", Haki told her.

"I promise, I've never had problems asking for help. And you promise me that you won't show up with your whole research team unless I call you, okay?"

"I promise".

With this, they parted from each other, and Aida headed to the wild.

* * *

Shenzi woke up at dawn. She had managed to sleep a little, thanks to her previous chat with the big cats, which had made her feel better. But Banzai was still missing. Let's wait. Wait. Wait.

She decided to cross the Pridelands border, in case she spotted a car. The lions wouldn't have minded her presence. But hours passed, the sun was quite high in the sky, and there was no sign of the car.

She knew she shouldn't have trusted that human. Which benefits could a human get from an animal, except for their precious fur and showing them in circuses like freaking weird creatures? Or using them for experiments? Animals had learned all these things from those of them who had had 'experiences' with humans, and such stories usually passed on for generations, like legends.

Or horror tales.

Shenzi couldn't take anymore. _I'll find Banzai myself, no matter what_, she thought. But she wanted to tell Ed first.

"Ed, I'm going to find that road and look for Banzai".

"_But she told us she would've brought him back!_", Ed protested.

"Humans tell a lotta things! Enough now! They won't make any of their stupid things with Banzai's fur, nor will they put him in a freakin' cage, not while I'm still alive!", she shouted.

"_Fine. But I won't let you go alone, I'm coming with you. And we should bring some other hyenas with us._"

Ed was right. The lions had told her so, too. Shenzi immediately gathered the clan to inform them, and chose two males and two females to go with her and Ed. She left the hunting pack in charge for the graveyard, and finally the group left.

The hyenas ran for about one mile before finding the road. Every second passing they hoped to bump into the woman's car. They ran, and ran, and kept running.

But destiny was playing another of its tricks on them.

* * *

"So, the elephant graveyard isn't exactly the best place to live.", Banzai said. He had just finished telling Aida the whole story of the relationship between them and the lions, of Ahadi, Mufasa, Scar and Simba. It was a bit painful to revive such memories.

"I understand," Aida said. "And I don't blame you…"

"Hey, I felt bad when I saw you cryin'", he said. She smiled.

"Oh don't worry, I got a big burden outta me. Haki is a good man. Maybe a bit stubborn and nagging, but definitely not bad. Do I have to keep going ahead to reach the graveyard?"

Just before they could cross Shenzi and Ed's path, Banzai told Aida to leave the road and cross the plains. Aida drove among the grasslands, the luxuriant savanna with its million colors. Zebras, antelopes, wildebeests, cheetahs, birds, trees of any shape. If there was a Heaven on earth, it was here. Then the colors and lights began to fade.

"We're there, you can stop here. I doubt the car could pass easily", Banzai said.

She stopped the car and they got off. Banzai was right. The Elephant Graveyard was definitely out of everything the light could touch. It was hollowed in the shadows. Aida couldn't do anything but freeze in front of this grotesque scenario.

Bones. Bones everywhere.


	5. The Hunters

Chapter 5 – _The Hunters_

OC: Windaji (Hunter), female hyena, 21-years-old – in hyena years – leader of the hunting pack in Shenzi's clan. (Created by Cyclone Sword)

"Wow!" Aida exclaimed, surprised by how somber the Graveyard looked. "I already expected to see something somber when you told me you lived in a graveyard, but this? I've never imagined that it would be like this. Is there even something to eat or to drink?"

"Yeah, it isn't the best living place, and to answer your question, not much. The only things you can find are some rats and dirty water."

"Then how do you survive? If there's so little food and water… And I'm not including a clan."

"Well, we steal from the lions when it's absolutely necessary. And even then, we usually bring in a single kill."

"If you're in such bad living conditions, why doesn't your leader…"

"Matriarch," Banzai interrupted her.

"Ok, why doesn't your matriarch leave to search for another place?"

"To where? There isn't anything better than this in miles."

"So in other words, you're trapped here."

"You could say that, but like I said, we…" Suddenly Banzai stopped and looked around. After a couple of uncomfortable seconds, which seemed like minutes for Aida, she heard something in front of her. So did Banzai.

"Windaji!" Banzai shouted.

_Hunter, _Aida thought. _Maybe the hunting leader?, s_he asked mentally_._

And again, seconds passed. Suddenly, a small group of six hyenas came out of different skulls, and surrounded them. One of them came forward, and by the looks of it, it was a female. She was a small hyena, but her razor sharp claws indicated she could do major damage.

"Banzai. It's good to see you. Matriarch Shenzi…"

_Oh great, _Aida thought. _Of all the hyenas I could possibly enrage, it HAD to be the matriarch of a hungry clan of hyenas._

"…has been highly restless since you left." It was then that Windaji noticed Aida. Immediately she started to snarl, and the rest of the hyenas did the same. "With HER!" She said while walking to Aida menacingly.

"WINDAJI, STAND DOWN!" Banzai barked, while standing in between the two. The female hyena didn't expect such a retort and backed away a bit. "Don't you dare lay a claw on her."

"But Banzai, she's the one who…" But she didn't have the chance to finish.

"Who what? You don't know what she has done, so don't judge."

While Banzai was scolding Windaji, Aida couldn't resist taking a look at the other hyenas that were present. Like she suspected, most of them were thin, indicating the lack of food, and at the same time she was observing the hyenas, they were doing the same with her.

"Aida," Banzai's voice broke her observation. She looked at him, and saw that Windaji had her head down. "Aida, Windaji, leader of our hunting party. Windaji, Aida, the vet who cured my right shoulder and took care of me."

"You're talking like she can understand us." Windaji said with a bit of mockery.

Banzai was about to scold her again, but Aida was faster.

"It's because I can, Windaji." Windaji and the rest of the hyenas stood there, looking perplexed.

"How can you…?" She started, but Aida was once again faster.

"I don't know, I just can." Banzai cleared his throat, and both females looked at him.

"Don't you have something to say, Windaji?" The female lowered her head again and approached Aida.

"I'm sorry for threatening you. I shouldn't have done that without knowing your actions. Please, forgive me." She said, bowing a little bit.

Aida, when she was a footstep away from Windaji, crouched and with her right hand, she lifted her head.

"I forgive you, Windaji. There was no way for you to know what I had done to Banzai. Besides," she smiled. "No harm was done." Windaji smiled back, happy that she was forgiven.

"Now that's settled, I need to see Shenzi". And with that, he started to walk further in the graveyard. But he didn't get far.

"That might be a problem" Windaji said with a low and nervous voice. Banzai raised a eyebrow.

"And why might that be a problem?"

"Like I said before, Shenzi was, and still is, very worried about you, so..." She paused for a moment. "...she took some alphas to search for you. Ed included. She left me in charge, but now that you're here, I suppose you're the one in charge."

_Shenzi left to search for me, _Banzai thought, and mentally smiled.

"Ehm, I don't want to interrupt, but... Where did she start looking?" Aida asked.

"I think she said something about following the road where you first met. Why?"

But Windaji didn't get any answer. Instead, she received a cloud of dust when Aida ran towards her car.

"Aida" Banzai shouted. "Where are you going?"

"If they follow the road they'll end up in my village. I don't think the villagers would like to have some hyenas roaming around." She shouted as she entered her car.

"I'm coming with you." Banzai said as he got in the car too.

Aida smiled, gave him a quick glance to make sure he got in and waited no more to return home, leaving a confused Windaji in a cloud of dust. The other hyenas gave her a questioning look, but she only shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I know as much as you do."

* * *

Shenzi, Ed and the four other alphas had been running non stop for almost two hours following the road, and they were starting to get tired, but Shenzi didn't care. She had to find Banzai.

"Shenzi", one of the females approached her from her right. "We can't continue running like this. The others and I are getting tired and thirsty."

Shenzi didn't answer. She knew they were tired, and to be honest, she was getting tired too. But she didn't want to stop neither. She let out a sight.

"Fine, we'll take a small break", she ordered, and as soon the alphas heard it, they all fell on the ground.

* * *

Aida was racing across the Plains, tracing a winding, irregular road on the grass.

"Okay, let's think", she said nervously. "What should we do? What shall I do?"

Banzai noticed that she was gradually and worryingly losing her cool. What a freaking situation! It was usually him the quick-tempered one, the one who always needed a reprimand or a smack from Shenzi to cool down. And now it was up to him to remain calm and try to calm down this young human female, especially for the fact that she was driving a large car. Though absolutely ignorant of how a car functioned, he understood that, if handled improperly, it could kill you.

"Listen, calm down, okay? What could possibly happen? Shenzi, Ed and the alphas are looking for me, so I don't think they're gonna harm the humans", he told her in an optimistic, albeit unconvincing, tone. She started to speed up.

"Shenzi, Ed and the alphas are gonna get into HUGE trouble! You know why? 'Cause if humans spot them, they will be shot square in the brains without ceremony!", she yelled.

"But-"

"And not to mention if they reach the reserve! There are a couple of lions in there! With cubs!"

"Listen-"

"And of course if they are attacked, they will rightly attack in response! There will be an epic disaster and the fault will be all MINE!"

"ENOUGH!", Banzai shouted. "And slow down this thing, the ground may be bumpy!"

"I gotta call Haki, I gotta warn him", she said, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other rummaging in her bag in search of her cell phone.

Banzai realized that Aida wasn't looking ahead anymore and they were dangerously speeding towards a familiar, enormous tree.

"...Oh, shit...", Banzai said with a faint voice. Aida was still busy with that damn bag. "Oh, SHIT! AIDA STOP!"

In just a few seconds, Aida looked ahead, screamed, braked violently and let go of her bag which fell on the backseats and its content was scattered all over the car. They had just avoided a mortal accident by a hair.

"Is it normal that a hyena should tell a human how to drive a car?" Banzai said, his voice trembling with anger and fright.

"No, it isn't", Aida replied, sighing with relief. "And it's even less normal that I was about to kill you after I've saved your life."

They looked at each other and smiled.

"By the tears of a hyena, what is happening here?", came a sudden voice, which Banzai recognized immediately.

And all of a sudden, a very annoyed mandrill jumped out of the big tree and nimbly landed on the car's hood.


	6. Meeting a friend

Chapter 6 – _Meeting a friend_

Shenzi's heartbeat finally slowed down to normal. While getting up on all fours she thought about the whole mess she was living. It was crazy. Without any doubt, the hyenas were used to fight against a bigger enemy; in their case, the perpetual struggle with lions had become even harsher since the clan had been sent in that loathsome graveyard. Yet, lions were part of their life, just like vultures, or cheetahs. Through the years, several members of the hyena clan had lost their lives thanks to lions, but on the other hand lions knew very well that with hyenas it was definitely no laughing matter.

But now, they were going to face humans. It was totally different. Shenzi was a tough female, she had defeated strong rivals even when she was a teen, and she had always managed to literally land on her feet. And now she was completely unprepared.

"Come on guys, we gotta get going", she told the alphas.

Ed approached her.

"_Shenzi, you really think we can do it? There's still a lot of way to go…_"

"Ed, you really want to see your best friend again?", Shenzi replied, looking into Ed's eyes. Despite his ridiculous appearance, Ed was a well-shaped male, and he had nothing to envy to other males. He was very strong and resistant, and those teeth he showed regularly to laugh at everything could also break a spine in a single snap. Shenzi could even tell he was stronger than many hyenas just for the fact that in difficult situations Eddie was the only one who never complained, he would just stay silent and think about a solution. Shenzi made a mental curse to anyone thought Eddie was useless.

"_I won't let you go alone anyway_", Eddie said in his unique language, and that familiar grin of his appeared on his face. Shenzi smiled back.

The alphas were ready to go. This time humans will fear a hyena's laughter a lot more than a lion's roar.

* * *

Aida stared wordlessly at that creepy monkey on her car. Rafiki stared back at her.

Banzai, who was not famous for his patience, suddenly broke the silence.

"So? Is the staring game over yet?"

Aida snapped out, and decided to talk to the monkey.

"Can you… hear me?", she said with a faint voice.

"I may be old, dear human female, but I'm not deaf. Of course I can hear you! It is you who won't be able to understand my words", Rafiki said.

"Of course I can understand your words!", Aida said, imitating his previous sentence.

Rafiki's eyes widened, then a smile cracked on his face.

"That's the most interesting thing I've seen so far", he said out loud to himself. "The two main kingdoms of the world, animal and human, can finally join one another in dialogue."

"Actually it's just me, to my knowledge", Aida said, getting out of the car. "No other human can talk to animals."

Rafiki studied this pretty specimen of human female. She was undoubtedly a young adult, and showed no sign of mental disease or demonic possession. A common female who happened to be able to talk to animals.

Bored to tears, Banzai got off the car from Aida's side.

"Alright, monkey", he said. "Now you can go back on your tree, we're in a hurry and you always happen to be on our-OUCH!", Banzai was interrupted by a hit on the head from Rafiki's stick.

"Manners, hyena. With this metallic monster you almost gave me a heart attack!", Rafiki said, pointing to the car.

"We're really sorry", Aida said. "But we got into huge trouble and I needed to go fast, I got distracted and I didn't see the tree… And now I must pray for my car to go again…"

She got into the car and tried to start it, without any success. "Dammit!", she shouted.

Rafiki noticed smoke coming out of the hood, and jumped down. Both the mandrill and the hyena quickly warned Aida.

"Aida, the car's burning, get off", Banzai said.

Aida got off and opened the car's hood, carefully to avoid burning her hands.

"No, it won't explode", she said. "It's just the motor being very hot because we were going very fast…"

Suddenly Rafiki came up with an idea.

"Old Rafiki knows what this metallic monster needs to walk again!", he exclaimed.

"What? Shut up, love potions won't work for a car", Banzai told him. Rafiki threatened him with his stick.

"Silly hyena", he said, and disappeared on his tree, but immediately came back with a concave rock containing a violet liquid.

"How do you know this will start my car again?", Aida said, very confused.

"This potion is neither hot nor cold, and at the same time its effect is that of fire melting the ice and of water killing the fire; in other words, it gives a wave of energy".

And without waiting for an answer, the mandrill spilt the liquid into the car's motor. The car gave a start and roared as if it was alive. Aida and Banzai stepped back, worried. But the car was powered again.

"See? It worked!" Rafiki said happily.

"YAY!" Aida exclaimed, and without thinking twice, she squeezed Rafiki in a hug. "Thank you, friend."

Rafiki smiled. He knew that not all humans were dangerous, but this one was really special.

Banzai's "ahem" got their attention. "This is very sweet, but we were in a hurry, remember?", he said.

"What the hell's going on here? Rafiki, you okay?", came a sudden voice from afar.

"Now what?", Banzai snapped. But his annoyed expression quickly switched to a terrified one when he spotted none other than Simba and Nala coming towards them.


	7. The big cats

Chapter 7 – _The big cats_

Aida felt her heart skip a beat or two at the sight of a lion and a lioness coming towards them. She couldn't help noticing they were both very young and beautiful, though. The lion's fur was like gold, and his mane was as red as an enchanting cascade of ruby under the burning sun, with some shorter locks near his eyes. He was concerned, yet he had something boyish about him. The lioness had paler, creamy fur, and her sky blue eyes, albeit carrying along a worried expression, were very sweet.

_These must be the King and Queen_, Aida thought.

They asked if Rafiki was ok, so she guessed they were close friends. She hoped Rafiki could protect her, because Banzai was still wounded and anyway unable to fight two lions alone.

Simba and Nala stopped a few steps from them, keeping their eyes glued on Aida. To them, the young woman appeared like a very pretty species. She had a sort of mane almost like male lions, but hers was dark and undoubtedly well taken care of; no tail, no claws. Nala was struck by how curvy her body was, even if mostly covered with clothes.

"She doesn't look dangerous", Simba whispered to Nala.

Aida, brave as usual, rolled her eyes. "I'm not dangerous."

"That's astounding! She can really understand us!", Nala exclaimed.

"Sure you two make a strange royal couple. Don't talk about me like I couldn't hear you! How do you know about me?"

"Usually it is I who ask questions", Simba said firmly, but with a hint of mockery.

Aida kept in mind that treating them like kids who see something unusual for the first time can be very risky. Because they were grown-ups. She was in their world now, and in this world this lion was the ruler.

"Alright, my apologies, your Majesty", she started to say.

"Call me Simba," he said kindly.

"Simba… You and your mate just acted like you've been warned about me", Aida said.

Simba and Nala approached her.

"The matriarch of the Graveyarders told us about you and the promise you made her", Nala said.

"I kept that promise, your Majesty"

"Nala", the lioness smiled.

"Nala, I kept the promise, Banzai is right here", and she pointed to Banzai. "See? He's alright! I am a healer for animals; I don't use them for cruel experiments, I just take care of them when they are sick, or wounded. The matriarch herself can tell you that Banzai was unconscious and bleeding to death: I needed to take him away with me to save his life."

Simba turned to Banzai.

"So, is it all true?"

Banzai looked at Simba fiercely. "All true."

Simba thought about it for some seconds. No doubt the woman had acted well, but he remembered Shenzi's words from their previous encounter: is her ability to talk to animals really a good thing?

Simba eventually preferred to hear Rafiki's opinion. "Rafiki, what do you think?"

The good old wise Rafiki, who had understood the whole thing, put an arm around Simba's mane. "My young King, you are rightly worried by this human's friendship with the hyenas. Plus, she is a link between us and the fierce world of humans. She could easily put the animal kingdom into trouble. But I see good in her! And if her nature is good, she can bring a lot of joy in our kingdom as well as in hers."

Simba and Nala looked at Aida again; she looked back at them with her big dark eyes, it was almost like she was saying 'Trust me'.

They both smiled.

"You can go take the hyena back to the Graveyard. And you're free to come here whenever you desire to visit him again", Simba said.

"Thank you Simba, but we have a problem right now", Aida said.

"What happened?"

"Matriarch Shenzi didn't wait for me to come and has decided to look for Banzai herself. I think she's convinced I've kidnapped him. She can easily reach the village, and has a pack of alphas with her. We were about to reach them and stop them before they come into contact with humans."

Banzai looked at the sky: from the position of the sun, it could have been early afternoon.

"If she left this morning", Banzai started saying. "Then at this time they are almost there, I guess".

Aida felt like crying. It was too late…

Then it struck her like lightning: Haki. She had to call Haki.

* * *

Shenzi and the alphas began to slow down as a strange smell filled their sensitive nostrils. Shenzi recognized that smell: humans. She remembered it on that female, it wasn't bad, just… strange. Like a mix of potions. Moreover, the young matriarch could smell again that disgusting smoke coming out of cars.

"We're there, guys", she said, panting.

"Were do we start from? He could be anywhere", a female said.

She was right. It was a peculiar place, full of closed territories. All those enormous dens in which surely humans lived had their entrance blocked by large pieces of smooth wood. Gardens had fences. And the hyenas had no idea of where to go. They had the impression that all those closed spaces meant that humans were not only scared of animals, but of each other too.

"I suggest we stay together and begin searching", a male said. "We can smell him anyway. And if there are other animals, even better."

"Alright", Shenzi said. "And no one will stop us from attacking and even killing anyone decides to thwart our plan", she finished with silent rage.

The hyenas seemed to have been kissed by fortune, as the first place they approached was small animal reserve. As a confirmation, they could smell other animals. As they approached a tall fence, Ed began to snicker.

"_I think we are very near our pal, let's just call him out loud_"

"Ed, shut up!", Shenzi snapped. "We are in human territory, remember? We don't know who the heck is here!"

But Ed began to laugh uncontrollably. But, rather than out of happiness, he laughed out of tension. He only laughed harder when a lion cub appeared on the other side of the fence.

"Hello kiddo", Shenzi said nervously. "Did you happen to see a hyena around here?"

The cub just stared at them with big, curious eyes. Ed kept on laughing, thus making Shenzi more and more nervous.

"Come on Ed, lower that freaking voice!", another male told him. But Ed ignored him.

Shenzi couldn't stand this situation anymore. That stupid lion cub staring at them without answering their question, Ed laughing louder and louder… The matriarch suddenly grabbed Ed's muzzle with a powerful paw and exploded on him.

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP, DAMMIT!".

The lion cub let out a little laughter with his cute baby voice. But this sweet sound was immediately followed by a powerful, terrifying roar.

In a matter of seconds, a lioness appeared behind the cub. She didn't look happy at all, and the sight of six hyenas could only enrage her more.


End file.
